Eating Gluten Free in Torremolinos, Spain

Going on holiday to the Costa Del Sol and looking for places to eat gluten free in Torremolinos? Luckily awareness of food allergies is on the up, making it easier to find gluten free food in Spain than ever before.

Growing up I spent many a summer in Torremolinos, a popular tourist destination on the Costa Del Sol. My mum and her dad bought a little holiday apartment between them, so when I was in school we used to go out there for the 6 week summer holidays.

Since going gluten free the choice of restaurants has been reduced somewhat, but there are still a few places to go that are safe and options to ask for when eating gluten free in Torremolinos.

As it’s an apartment with it’s own little kitchen, we do mostly self-cater – check out my blog on self catering gluten free in Spain – but we do have the odd meal out.

Restaurante Lanjaron

This is the favourite for my family – it’s not too far from our apartment (staggering distance if we’ve had a few too many Tinto De Verano!) – and it’s cheap and cheerful for really good food. It’s family run and the staff have all been there for years.

They’ve changed the menu in recent years so it’s marked up with the main allergens – if you take a Spanish allergy card they’re happy to check anything you’re not sure about.

Obviously, it’s a mixed kitchen but I’ve never been ill from eating there. Definitely worth a visit!

Hopefully the menu will give you an idea of what you can get – and how cheap it is!

Hopefully the menu will give you an idea of what you can get – and how cheap it is!

McDonalds & Burger King

WOOP WOOP COPOUT ALERT! I am aware this is a gigantic cheat and it’s not ‘real food’ but when you have the opportunity to get a Big Mac, you take it!

Not only can you get a gluten free Big Mac in Spain, you can get fit chunky chips and a beer with it! Mind = blown!

At McDonalds you can order burgers with gluten free buns, as well as fries and some fit potato wedges. Also, they serve gluten free beer – what’s not to like?

The interactive screens in Burger King have a gluten free options section – you can choose between a regular burger or cheeseburger – that’s more than can be said for the UK!

Burger King also does gluten free options – if you’re worried about things getting lost in translation just order on the interactive screens.

Finding Gluten Free Options in Torremolinos

We are admittedly creatures of habit, and what with having dinner in our apartment, we don’t go out an awful lot – I’ve written a blog post about shopping for gluten free food in Spain if you want to check that out!

A lot of the places we go to tend to have the same variety of food – it’s easy to start spotting what you can safely eat – it’s just a case of asking whether it’s safe.

If you can identify the below options on the menu – ask the waiter “Soy alérgico al gluten – es seguro para mí comer?”. Being so close to Malaga, which does a lot of campaigning for gluten free, most places will be able to give you a yes or no answer.

AVOID anything described as “frito” (fried) and instead opt for thing described as “a la plancha” (grilled).

Some of my favourites are:

Boquerones en Vinagre (anchovies in spirit vinegar)

Pulpo a la gallega

Calamara Plancha

Lenguado Meunier = Sole

Paella – not safe everywhere due to stock cubes

Jamon Serrano or Iberica

Tortilla Espanola

Gambas a la plancha

Have you visited Torremolinos and found some places you’ve found great? Let me know in the comments!